Friday, June 13, 2008

Obviously it's been forever since the last post, and here's one reason why:

Yes, folks, Carlos and Amy are going to be parents by Christmas if all goes well. World, get ready...

We're close to 14 weeks now, and glad about it. The first trimester was tough, between the nausea, food aversions, morning sickness, exhaustion, and frequent travel. This baby has already flown internationally 3 times and it'll probably happen a few more times before the birth, Lord willing.

So, some details, since our world is dramatically different than it was in March.

1) End of March - I quit my job. This was based on several factors, including problems obtaining legal working permission in Mexico (after 6 months on the job!), awful salary/work ratio, and a massive decline in my health. It was the right choice, although it was a scary one, since no other job was lined up.

2) Beginning of April - Carlos agreed that I should spend a couple weeks in the US to regain my health, earn some great money substitute teaching, and formulate a new plan.

3) April - During those weeks in the US, prompted by my mom's urging, I became aware of the pregnancy. Despite having been in denial about it for several weeks, there was no disputing my mom's intuition. :)

4) May - I returned to the Mexico. When I left Mexico in April, I had been planning to return and seek a job. However, with a baby on the way, it became clear that eking out a living in Mexico was not going to work out. The tough decision was made to stay in Mexico a few weeks, visit my husband, and then head back to the US on a more permanent basis. Thus, I spent most of my days battling morning sickness, trying to eat, and attempting to train the new puppy given to us by Carlos' brother on Carlos' birthday:

Nico is now a 3 1/2 month-old German Shepherd/Lab mix and he makes our lives more complete!

5) End of May - I returned to the US, got set up with medical care for me and the baby, and started working for my uncle's business. The job is great. My aunt and uncle are the best employers ever!

And Carlos? He's remained dedicated to his English teaching job where, although he seems hesitant to admit it, he is brilliantly successful. He got great reviews on his very first observation, his students love him, and the other teachers regard him as a great resource on English as spoken by real people, rather than textbooks. He is currently trained to teach 9 out of the 15 levels of English offered at his institute, and he now corrects MY English when we talk.

He also has fully housetrained the dog, and is giving him good social skills by taking him for walks on the path by our house every night. Nico does especially well with children, which is encouraging.

Carlos' free time is spent tinkering with the 1969 Chevrolet Cheyenne, keeping it in peak condition.

Our sanity is Skype. The access to unlimited video chat for free is the only way we're able to endure the international separation. Friends/family who have Skype can look us up on Skype by our first & last names.

We do need prayer:1) A healthy pregnancy and a happy baby.

2) A way for Amy to feel less stressed and concerned, to make that healthy, happy pregnancy more of a possibility.

3) Strength for Carlos to endure in Mexico. He has hit a point of total aggravation with Mexican society in general and would gladly move to almost any other continent (or Canada) if the opportunity presented itself. We need him in Mexico, at least until the end of the US immigration process. So let's pray he gets some much-needed encouragement.

4) An immigration miracle, including a speedy process and an absolutely amazing result from his visa interview in Ciudad Juarez near the end of the process.

5) A clear path for the steps to take after the US immigration process is done, no matter what the outcome.

6) A steady-running Chevy Cheyenne. It's pretty much our only valuable possession in Mexico and extremely necessary for Carlos' job and general livelihood.

7) Continued means for Amy to visit Carlos, especially as her international flying days will soon be limited by the pregnancy. Two more visits before the baby's born would be a dream!

8) Strength and encouragement for the family members and friends who are standing with us through this challenging time. They have been incredible in their generosity and concern, even when for some of them, this is also very draining.

We appreciate all of you and can't wait to see the good things the rest of 2008 has for us. :)

us

Married since May 2007, parents since December 2008, we held our little family together across the US-Mexican border for over three years. After facing the reality that living together in the US wouldn't be possible, we moved on to adventures together in South Korea for a few years, and now have returned to our passport countries to push once and for all to bring Carlos home.

Here, I blog about our adventures in parenting, travel, multilingualism, maintaining multiple cultures while living abroad, immigration, policy, and keeping it all together while we confront this process.